The Rose
by Maiden of the Moon
Summary: Can the gift of a rose help Inu-Yasha say he's sorry- and tell Kagome how he feels? (InuKag White Day Fluffy One-Shot. Rated for language)


Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha. (That's a shock and a half, right? ^_~)  
  
Author's Note: Hiya, guys! Here it is! (Finally) My Valentine's Day/White Day one shot. Took me long enough, I know, so I hope you enjoy it. ^_^  
  
First, a quick explanation: White Day, which falls on March 14th, is the day you give gifts to the people who gave you Valentines. It's a Japanese holiday.  
  
Anyway, this is a beautiful song called 'And So It Goes', originally done by Billy Joel. I'm using the lyrics from the SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, base) a cappella version for 'Vocal Jazz'. I think all the words are the same, but if they're not, or I'm missing a verse or two, that's why. ^_^;  
  
Please enjoy!  
  
~*~  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
~The Rose~  
  
-Inu-Yasha's PoV-  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
~ In every heart  
  
There is a room  
  
A sanctuary safe and strong  
  
To heal the wounds  
  
From lovers past  
  
Until a new one comes along~  
  
*  
  
"Hey, Inu-Yasha?"  
  
I grunt a response, not bothering to look up at Kagome as she continues to shuffle through countless pink papers. Instead I ignore her, replacing the sound of the rustling parchment with the gentle rushing of the river beside us. Picking a few, smooth, rounded stones off of the riverbed, I begin to flick them listlessly into the crystal blue waters.  
  
"Can you help me?" she asks, holding out half of her pile and glancing at me with a hopeful expression. I regard her rather coldly, wrinkling my nose at the perfume wafting from the papers.  
  
"What the hell are they?" I question slowly, making no move to take the scented notes. "They smell like sardines."  
  
A flash of hurt annoyance flickers through her stormy eyes.  
  
. . .  
  
Whenever she wears that angry expression- even if just for a moment. . .  
  
It. . .  
  
Reminds me of. . .  
  
. . .  
  
"They're white day cards," she explains, quickly regaining her perky edge and stuffing the cards into my hands. "I need you to help me put these heart-shaped stickers on them."  
  
"What are they for?" I inquire slowly, flipping through them and glancing at the names. Despite popular belief, I *can* read. I didn't live my childhood years in a castle for nothing. But at the moment I sort of wish that I couldn't, considering all the names in my hands quite obviously belonged to other boys.  
  
~ I spoke to you  
  
In cautious tones~  
  
"You give them to people who gave you Valentine's gifts," she replies, making a few smiley faces on a card with a pink pen.  
  
~You answered me with no pretense~  
  
"Why?" I grind my teeth, eyes locked on the thick packet of parchment in my hands as I work to swallow an all-out growl. Jealousy courses through me like a poison, infecting all my thoughts and actions. Why was she giving things to other males?!  
  
"They're to say 'thank you' and all that," she beams, but quickly frowns as I round on her.  
  
"No! Why are they all to MEN?!" I snap, clawed fingers pointing roughly to the many crisp, neat kanji symbols on the cards. And why isn't *my* name on one. . . ?! Don't *I* deserve a card?! My heart pounds painfully, throbbing as if it's been stabbed.  
  
It feels like it has been- by betrayal. Kagome is *mine*!  
  
. . .  
  
Even if she doesn't know it yet.  
  
She glares coldly at my rudeness, her hand clenching the material of her skirt- completely oblivious to how these cards are hurting me. "Because they're the ones who gave me Valentines!"  
  
"Yeah, right!" I snarl, flicking the papers away and allowing them to float on the breeze as Kagome gapes, open-mouthed. "You're just flirting with them or something!" The mere prospect of which makes me want to kill something.  
  
"What?! I don't even know many of them all that well!" she retorts, her voice growing louder. "And besides, even if that were true- why do YOU care?!"  
  
A growl reverberates in the back of my throat. "Because, stupid! I- - -"  
  
!  
  
I bite my tongue, mentally smacking myself for my big mouth and my stupidity.  
  
I almost said it. . .  
  
She arches an eyebrow as I turn away, avoiding her gaze. I almost said it- - -! Idiot, idiot, idiot!  
  
"What was that?" she presses quietly, a warning tone laced into her voice. "'I' what. . . ?"  
  
"Nothing," I snap, flexing my claws in irritation. "Nothing at all."  
  
~And still I feel  
  
I said too much~  
  
"Inu-Yasha. . ." she tries again, a little gentler than before. "What were you saying?"  
  
I don't reply. Instead, I stare silently at the sky.  
  
~My silence is my self-defense~  
  
"Inu-Yasha, please- talk to me."  
  
Still, I don't answer. What could I say? 'Kagome, just a moment ago I almost shouted my secret feelings for you'?! Yeah, right! Besides- she doesn't want to hear that shit- she's got to many suitors back 'HOME' to think about!  
  
"Inu-Yasha, what's wrong?" Kagome tries for a third time, never suspecting the thoughts that are going through my head. "Why won't you talk to me?! What did I ever do to you?!" she pouts, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
What did she ever do to me. . . ?! My eye twitches slightly in irritation. That does it.  
  
"Inu-Ya- - - !"  
  
"Shut up!" I roar, getting to my feet in a huff. "Just shut up and give your stupid cards to the god-damn morons in your time! AND STAY THERE, WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!" She might as well if those fools over there are all she can think about!  
  
She stares, wide-eyed, at me for a moment- totally taken aback- before beginning to tremble- - -  
  
With rage.  
  
"What is YOUR PROBLEM?!" she explodes, standing and putting her hands on her hips; looking up at me with fury filled blue orbs.  
  
"I'm simply SICK of hearing you GUSH about OTHER GUYS!"  
  
"I am not GUSHING! Besides, I REPEAT: WHY would YOU care, even if I WAS?!"  
  
I fall silent again, not wanting to answer that question. However, I don't back down in the slightest- instead I lock fiery gazes with her and refuse to blink. Eventually her eyes become so dry she has to, and accompanies said blinking with a loud 'Humph!'.  
  
"I don't know why I even bother with your jealousy," Kagome grumbles, flopping back to the ground- - - as I freeze. She knows I'm jealous. . . ? "It's so dumb, especially when you keep chasing after KIKYO."  
  
!  
  
"What does Kikyo have to do with anything?" I snarl in warning tones. Kagome glares icily at me from over her shoulder.  
  
"Don't be stupid, Inu-Yasha! You get SO jealous when I talk to other guys and then the next minute you run off to HER!"  
  
A bon-fire of irritation burst to life inside me.  
  
"What?! I am NOT jealous and I do NOT *always* run off to Kikyo!"  
  
"You do too!" she snarls. "And it's beginning to annoy me!"  
  
"I'm sure not as much as YOU annoy ME!" I bark, my mouth running amuck as my brain screams that I should shut up. But, just like the fool I know I can many times be (not that I'll admit that to anyone), I don't listen. "ALL you DO is flirt, flirt, flirt!"  
  
"That is NOT true! Just because I'm nice to them, doesn't mean I FLIRT!"  
  
"It IS true!"  
  
"WELL, AT LEAST YOU HAVE *KIKYO* TO MAKE UP FOR THAT, RIGHT?!" Kagome screams, her eyes screwed shut in anger.  
  
"AT LEAST KIKYO ISN'T A BITCH LIKE *YOU*!" I yell just as loudly, turning away and storming off. "MAYBE I *SHOULD* RUN OFF TO HER- SO YOU CAN RUN BACK TO ALL THE LOVE-SICK FOOLS IN YOUR TIME!"  
  
I can feel her eyes piercing my back as I leave, but she doesn't make a sound.  
  
I don't see her for the rest of the day.  
  
*  
  
I can tell something odd is going on a soon as I awaken the next morning. It's not that I can see it- not with my eyes still closed and all. And it's not that I can taste it or feel it or hear it.  
  
I can smell it. Something different, and yet. . .  
  
I'm used to waking up in the mornings with sweet smell of floral vanilla tickling my nose- the unique scent that always wafts from Kagome. I savor that smell- especially at the break of dawn. The air is already so fresh at sunrise that her scent always seemed twice as wonderful. For the past three years I've spent every waking moment trying to figure out a way to keep that stench with me at all times, even when Kagome's gone.  
  
But I've failed.  
  
Even stealing one of her blouses didn't help. Without its owner to restock the quickly lost scent, the smell eventually fades to nothingness.  
  
The only way I can think of is to keep Kagome with me. But. . .  
  
. . .  
  
I don't want to hurt again. Maybe that's why I start so many fights. A stupid belief that 'sure, a fight may hurt the soul and heart now, but then I'll be ready for the big blow- when she leaves forever- and it won't hurt so much'. But. . . Maybe I'm just driving her away . . . ? I don't want to feel that burning ache in my heart anymore- so why am I purposely inflicting it? Perhaps if I tell her. . .  
  
No, then she'll only laugh and avoid me.  
  
. . .  
  
After a few groggy moments that I'm not at all familiar with (considering I rarely ever sleep), I manage to pry my heavy lidded eyes open to look around for the source of the sweet, familiarly unfamiliar smell. I can almost taste the delicious vanilla of Kagome, but. . .  
  
Why do I also smell rose?  
  
I learn why as soon as I open my eyes. Sitting on my chest, silky petals almost touching my nose, is a blood-red rose.  
  
?  
  
Sitting up carefully and bracing my back against the tree trunk I'm up against, I reposition myself on the forest floor- wincing as a thorn pricks my thumb.  
  
~And every time  
  
I've held a rose  
  
It seems I only feel the thorns~  
  
Cradling the blossom gently, I examine the flower with narrowed eyes. Where did it come from? What's it for? Why is there a note tied to it's stem. . . ?  
  
Maybe that note will have the answers.  
  
Carefully lifting a claw, I slit the red ribbon that links the flower and card. No problem. Unfolding the thin, fragile, pink paper, I begin to read with curiosity.  
  
*Dear Inu-Yasha,  
  
Happy White Day! You didn't get me a Valentine last month, but I wanted to do something special for you anyway. I hope you like roses. They smell better than sardines, right?*  
  
I can't stop myself from giving a guilty little squirm. I guess it didn't really smell *that* bad. . .  
  
*Anyway, by the time you read this, I'll be back in my own era. I guess there's just not enough space around here for two mikos, huh? Especially when one is such a bitch, like me. Give Kikyo my best, next time you see her. I'm sure she'll be glad to know I'm gone.*  
  
Gone. . . ?  
  
~And so it goes  
  
And so it goes  
  
And so will you I suppose~  
  
*Yes, that's right, I'm gone. And I'm not coming back. At least, not for a long while. I need a break from all this. I need a break from you.  
  
From your inability to trust me.*  
  
But. . .  
  
I *do* trust you, Kagome! Why is she saying this- - - ?  
  
. . .  
  
~But if my silence made you leave  
  
Then that would be my worst mistake~  
  
*Why can't you just tell me what's on your mind? If you did, we wouldn't fight so much. Well, okay, we'd probably find something else to fight over, but all the same. . .  
  
Oh- before I forget. I just thought I'd mention that I've decided not to give out my other white day cards. Hope you appreciate that.  
  
Good bye.  
  
Love Always, Kagome*  
  
I blink slowly down at the letter, my hands shaking slightly as I clutch my rose.  
  
She isn't going to give the other cards. . . ? Because of me?  
  
Could she. . .  
  
Could she actually. . .  
  
Like me the way I like her. . . ? Is that her way to show she cares?  
  
I slowly begin to get to my feet- - -  
  
!  
  
When I catch myself and realize what I'm thinking.  
  
No! I can't tell her that I love her! Not after she just decided to leave! Besides- just because she said she's not to give the other cards doesn't tell me anything! She may have just run out of time or something!  
  
But . . .  
  
I swallow hard, looking down at the innocent blossom in my hands- the one that contains just a hint of floral vanilla.  
  
. . .  
  
I dash towards the well.  
  
This may be romantic suicide, but. . .  
  
There's only one way to find out. (To my knowledge, at least.)  
  
~So I will share  
  
This room with you  
  
And you may have this heart to break~  
  
*  
  
She's sitting in her room when I get there, studying silently at her desk. But by the glitter of tears in her eyes I can tell she doesn't really have her heart in her reading. I perch myself in the tree just outside her window, watching her. My courage to burst in and tell her my feelings has pretty much failed me, despite the fact that I *should* have loads and loads of it. Well, there's a difference between 'spilling-your-guts-in-a- battle' courage and 'spilling-your-guts-to-your-love' courage.  
  
I sigh silently, leaning back against the rough bark and closing my eyes, dangling a leg off the branch.  
  
Maybe I *shouldn't* tell her. . . If I left now, she'd never know I was here.  
  
Yeah. . .  
  
Perhaps I should just let her cool down and come back when she's ready.  
  
But. . .  
  
She thinks I don't trust her. And. . .  
  
I don't want her to doubt our bond. After all, it was that lack of trust that killed Kikyo and I. . . That broke my heart for the first time. . .  
  
~And this is why  
  
My eyes are closed  
  
It's just as well with all I've seen~  
  
"Oh, I give up!"  
  
This outburst yanks me back into reality faster than Kagome can say 'sit'. Opening my eyes, I watch curiously as Kagome snaps her books shut in frustration; falling back on her bed with a loud sigh.  
  
"I wonder if he's gotten my note yet. . ." she muses out loud. Then she snorts softly in amusement. "Of course he has- he's not a late sleeper and it's nearly two in the afternoon." She sighs again, rolling on to her side and picking up her alarm clock, stroking it's cool metal in a rather loving fashion. She giggles slightly as she does so, evidently remembering some of my not-so-graceful moments. Like when I broke her old clock. . .  
  
I sweatdrop slightly in exasperation. She can't remember my heroic moments. Oh, no- she has to remember my freaking out at things like cars and clocks and ovens. . .  
  
"Oh, Inu-Yasha. . ." she whispers, setting the alarm clock back on her nightstand. "After all the times you've told me similar things. . . I can't help but wonder if you really meant all that. . . Am I really that much of a bit- - - ?!"  
  
She jumps and gasps in shock as her window suddenly flies open with a loud clatter. "What the- - -?!"  
  
But her voice suddenly dies as she sees me, crouched calmly next to her bed.  
  
"I- Inu-Yasha. . . ?" she gapes, clutching her pillow tightly to her chest and instinctively scooting into the corner.  
  
"No," I say seriously, looking straight into her surprised blue-gray eyes. "You're not a bitch. Most of the time."  
  
~And so it goes  
  
And go it goes  
  
And you're the only one who knows~  
  
"Inu-Yasha," Kagome chokes, so shocked to see me that I begin to feel a little uncomfortable. "What're you doing here- - -?!"  
  
I open my mouth to speak- - -  
  
Shit.  
  
There goes my courage again.  
  
Grumbling quietly I get to my feet, sitting next to her on the bed and crossing my legs in my usual arrogant style. If only felt as sure of myself as I looked.  
  
"I came to. . . I dunno, thank you for not giving those assholes your cards. . . and stuff."  
  
"And. . . stuff," she repeats slowly, her cheeks a little pinker than usual.  
  
"Yeah. Stuff," I shrug. "Like. . . Um. . ." My hand clutches the rose tightly, oblivious to the cutting thorns. I had not released it for even a second since I first received it. "Tell you what I wouldn't tell you earlier. . ."  
  
"Oh?" she breathes, her voice so soft and timid that I'm afraid I might break her if I talk too loudly.  
  
"Uh. . . yeah," I press on, wishing that I had a little more confidence with matters like this. "You see, the thing is. . . er. . . Well, you know yesterday, when you asked why I cared. . . I. . . well, uh. . . That is, I. . . Oh, hell!" I snap, irritated at myself beyond all belief. "I love you, okay?! That's what I was gonna say- and that's why I fucking care if you give those stupid cards to other guys! I love you, damn it! And I don't love Kikyo! Not anymore, at least!"  
  
Kagome's wide eyes widened even more as she blinks in surprise.  
  
"Sure, I care about her, we do have a history and all but- aw, fuck, now I'm just blabbering. Look, the point is that I love you and I care about you and I trust you and all that crap. I like it when you're with me, and I want you to stay with me. Forever. Well- for as long as we both live. Oh- And come back home! Don't stay by yourself in this stupid era. So- - - hey, are you laughing at me?!"  
  
~So I would choose  
  
To be with you  
  
That's if the choice were mine to make  
  
But you can make  
  
Decisions too  
  
And you can have this heart to break~  
  
Yup.  
  
That's what she was doing. Kagome, tears pouring down her cheeks like twin rivers, was laughing so hard that she had to fall against me for support.  
  
I knew it.  
  
"What's so funny?" I grumble, my cheeks beginning to flame in utter embarrassment. I knew she'd laugh.  
  
"You are!" she snickers, wrapping her arms around my waist before breaking down again.  
  
"Look," I mumble, annoyed, "if you don't feel the same, whatever- but you don't have to la - - -"  
  
But I am cut off quite suddenly by her lips covering mine; her vanilla- scented body pressed so close to me she has practically become a blanket.  
  
"Shut up," she whispers with a smile as she slowly pulls away. "I never said I don't love you. If I did, I'd be lying."  
  
. . . ?  
  
So. . .  
  
She- she does . . . ?!  
  
Her ears begin to redden as I wrap my arms around her middle, pulling her into my lap with a coy smile blossoming on my face.  
  
"Oh?" I arch an eyebrow, suddenly filled with courage. "So what you're trying to say is. . . ?"  
  
"I love you, Inu-Yasha," she giggles, lifting a hand and rubbing one of my ears. "You and your stupid romantic blunders. You're really rather pathetically cute, you know that?"  
  
"Are you calling me pathetic?" I ask, frowning playfully as I poke her ticklish sides.  
  
"Yes, I am," she replies honestly, trying to bite back another laugh.  
  
"Keh. I'll show you 'pathetic'," I smirk, resting my forehead against hers. "When you're pathetically trying to gasp for breath when I'm done kissing you."  
  
She shivers involuntarily as her blush darkens and her lashes quiver with excitement. By the way she's already leaning closer, her lips lightly pressed to mine, I'd say she's more than ready to take up my offer.  
  
"Okay. Show me pathetic," she smiles, locking her arms around my neck.  
  
"Only if you promise to come back with me," I demand, gently running my hands through her hair.  
  
"I promise," she vows, trailing her fingers over my cheeks.  
  
"And you won't break my trust?"  
  
"Never," she replies seriously. "Now- kiss me before I'm forced to yank your forelocks and bring you down myself."  
  
I grace her with an amused grin before fulfilling her request.  
  
God, I love you, Kagome.  
  
~And so it goes  
  
And so it goes  
  
And you're the only one who knows. . . ~  
  
~*~  
  
Cheesy? Yep!  
  
Limy? Sort of!  
  
Fluffy? Oh, yeah! XD  
  
I hope you all enjoyed!  
  
Please R&R!  
  
Ja ne! 


End file.
